Paw Paw responds to small business owners' request for help

Sometimes a little money can make a big difference for a small business.

That's why the Paw Paw DDA is offering two new grant programs. The Business Development Challenge Grant and the Education Training Opportunity Grant programs are intended to help business owners take steps or obtain training they need to make their businesses more stable.

Grants from the Challenge Grant program can help a business owner implement a portion of his or her business plan. Training is the goal of the second program. Both programs are aimed at businesses with 10 or fewer employees.

Paw Paw Village Manager Larry Nielsen says the need for the programs came up as he talked with local business owners. "They often have ideas that they would like to try or steps in their business plan they would like to take or have some training they would like to get for themselves or their employees. Implementing any of these could help stabilize their business."

Through the Challenge Grant program up to $10,000 is available to be awarded each quarter. No one grant would be more than $5,000. The Educational Training Opportunity Grant also offers up to $10,000 in grants.

Nielsen says the training can come from a wide variety of sources from Chamber of Commerce sponsored workshops, Western Michigan University classes or those offered by the State of Michigan. The program is highly flexible.

"Say a business says they need accounting training," Nielsen says. "They can ask for a grant to pay an accountant to come in and help them increase their learning."

The programs are paid for through growth in the tax base in the Downtown Development district, known as captured funds. In the past year, Paw Paw has granted an about $158,000 to businesses in the DDA.

Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: Larry Nielsen, Village of Paw Paw